Los Angeles-Final thoughts

This will be the final post from our Journey to the East. We hope you all have enjoyed sharing our adventure.

While our Journey to the East did not fulfill our wildest fantasies, it was the culmination of a life long dream to see the sights; especially Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Traveling in SE Asia is easy for the independent traveler. Transport is convenient but not always comfortable. Lodging is cheap and easy to find. Food is generally tasty and healthy. However, at times the heat, noise, dirt, pollution and crush of humanity were overwhelming. There is much to see and it would take a lifetime and a lot of stamina to see it all. We can't say we enjoyed every minute of this trip but it was all interesting.

Thailand
Thailand deserves all the kudos it gets. We did not spend much time there but plan to go back. What we did see lived up to our expectations. The people were generally friendly and helpful, the food was great and there are many cultural and scenic wonders that should be on every travelers list.

Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a fascinating city with something for everyone. We saw a side of HK that many tourists don't see thanks to the guidance of Ian and Tiara who scoped out the city before we arrived and tailored a tour that fit our sensibilities. If you have a chance to go there it is a worthwhile stop.

Kuala Lumpur
We hadn't planned to go there but with convenient flight connections on Air Asia it made sense. I am glad we went there but would not make it a primary destination on its own. If we had not gone we would have missed the Elephant Sanctuary which was one of the highlights of our trip. The rest of the country bears further exploration and we hope to return there someday.

Angkor Wat-Cambodia
Angkor Wat should be on every traveler's life list. It is one of the wonders of the world. Cambodia is a rapidly developing country that should be visited sooner rather than later. I would have liked to spend more time in the north and may go back someday.

Vietnam
Vietnam is a country of awesome beauty. We saw some beautiful beaches, charming towns and some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. However, I can't recommend it as a destination unless you have a high tolerance for hassles, lying and generally unfriendly people. Perhaps this was just our experience but I have never been lied to so much in my life. It also seemed like everyone was trying to scam or rip us off.

Laos
Laos may be the jewel of Indochina. It is just now developing as a tourist destination. Outside of a few major tourist areas it is unspoiled and offers the intrepid traveller experiences that are hard to find. Our trip up the Nam Ou river is one of my fondest memories of our travels. Get there soon before its gone.

Korea
I wish we had the time and energy to see more of Korea. It is a dynamic nation with some beautiful scenery and some of the friendliest people you will ever meet.

Tomorrow we return to our home in Mt Shasta to begin planning our next journey. Top of the list is an African safari. We have done a little preliminary research and are looking at a 42 day overland camping safari that visits several game parks between Capetown, South Africa and Nairobi, Kenya. Stay tuned for a new blog where we will share our next adventure or better still, contact us for the details and join us on our Journey to Africa.